The present invention pertains to a hinge between an edge of a container and a cover of a container.
Hinges have been known which make it possible both to open the cover of a container and to remove the cover from a container. Such a hinge is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,663,990. This hinge comprises a longitudinal groove designed as an inner guide surface on an edge of the container and an edge of a cover engaging the groove, so that the cover can be pivoted over a preset angle range, can be locked in the opened position and can be removed from the edge of the container. The hinge is designed for a cover that is arranged in the horizontal direction, preferably for a lighting arrangement. The cover is therefore removed from the edge of the container by unhooking the edge of the cover from the groove of the container.
Such hinges are suitable, in principle, for all containers that can be closed with a cover. The drawback in the case of containers that require frequent and simple removal of the corresponding cover is that the unhooking from the edge of the container must be performed at the time of the removal of the cover.
The object of the present invention is to provide a hinge for the interaction of a container with a corresponding cover during the opening and closing of the container, which makes possible both the opening of the cover on the container and the simple and rapid removal of the cover from the container.
According to the invention, a hinge between an edge of a container and a cover of a container is provided, comprising a first member at the edge of the container with a receiving depression, which has an inner guide surface, and a second member, which is provided as a projection on the cover of the container and engages the depression (2) of the first member. The said second member can perform a pivoting movement relative to the first member along the inner guide surface. On opposite sides of the inner guide surface, the edge of the container has an inner part and an outer part, which limit the pivoting movement of the second member along the inner guide surface by two stop positions I and II. The second member lies on the inner part of the edge of the container in the stop position I and is secured by the outer part against slipping laterally in relation to the edge of the container. The second member is clamped between the inner part and the outer part of the edge of the container in the stop position II by being pressed downward by the inner part and by being supported from below on the rear side by the outer part.
The fact that the cover of the container can be removed by being simply lifted from the edge of the container and the container can thus be opened is an advantage of the hinge according to the present invention. However, if removal of the cover of the container is required to make accessible the interior of the container from the outside, the hinge makes it possible to fold away the cover of the container and thus to leave the cover on the opened container.
According to a preferred embodiment, a locked position is created, in which the cover of the container is fixed relative to the edge of the container. This may be advantageous, e.g., when a stable position of the container shall be brought about in the half-opened state.
The hinge comprises two members. In a special embodiment, the first member has a depression with a lip and the second member has a widening end piece, which engage one another such that the two members are secured against slipping out of one another or displacement in relation to one another, especially during the pivoting of the cover in relation to the edge of the container.
The hinge according to the present invention is suitable for a great variety of containers. In an advantageous embodiment, a plurality of such hinges are distributed over an edge of the container, so that the cover of the container can be folded away from the edge of the container in different directions, from which the opened container will then be accessible.
The simple access to the interior of the container both by simply lifting off the cover of the container and folding away the cover of the container from the edge of the container in a desired direction is especially advantageous in incubators for premature or newborn patients in which simple and rapid access to the patient from different sides is necessary for care or supply measures, and, on the other hand, the reclosing of the incubator must also take place rapidly in order to preserve the climate in the interior of the incubator.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.